Blondie is the first of two television series based on the comic strip by Chic Young. The show first aired on January 4, 1957, on NBC and ran for one season. Pamela Britton starred in the title role and Arthur Lake played Blondie's husband Dagwood Bumstead, reprising his role from the Blondie film series.
A pilot episode was filmed in 1954 with Hal Le Roy as Dagwood opposite Britton's Blondie. The series was released in its entirety on September 25, 2018, by ClassicFlix. As of 2024, it airs on Shout! TV.
Contents
Cast
Arthur Lake as Dagwood Bumstead
Pamela Britton as Blondie Bumstead
Florenz Ames as J.C. Dithers
Ann Barnes as Cookie Bumstead
Stuffy Singer as Alexander Bumstead
Harold Peary as Herb Woodley
Elvia Allman as Cora Dithers
Lucien Littlefield as Mr. Beasley
Hollis Irving as Mrs. Woodley
Production
William Harmon was the producer, Hal Yates was the director, and John L. Greene was the director. The show was a Hal Roach Jr. production. Toni and Nestle sponsored it on alternate weeks. It was broadcast on Fridays from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
Critical response
A review in the trade publication Variety found little to like in the premiere episode. It said that the TV adaptation "adds no new dimensions, either in wit or humor, to the comic strip." In contrast, it added, "the comic strip humor is diluted, the cliched lines and situations standing out like sore thumbs."